45-year-old man from Selsey, who was known to the woman, held by police after her body was found at 8am yesterday

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a woman's body was found by a colleague who was due to take her to work.

Police and paramedics were called to Cherry Tree Cottage in East Ashling, near Chichester, at 8am yesterday after a 44-year-old woman was discovered dead in the house, Sussex Police said.

A 45-year-old man from Selsey, who was known to the woman, was arrested last night on suspicion of her murder. He remains in custody.

Det Chief Insp Ian Pollard from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team, who is leading the investigation, said: "While initially it was thought that we were dealing with a sudden death, officers became increasingly suspicious of the circumstances.

"As yet, the cause of her death is unexplained and we are awaiting the results of a post-mortem that will take place on Tuesday. However, our inquiries lead us to believe that this was not a natural death and a murder inquiry has been launched."